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No Cold Calling Zone

Date Added: 20/11/2013

Sandy Town Council has been and remains supportive of the Central Bedfordshire Trading Standards No Cold Calling Zone initiative. It plays an important role in equipping residents with the confidence and information they need to deal with bogus callers, distraction burglaries and unwanted visitors. The NCCZ scheme is already well signed across many streets in Sandy. We have received complaints from some members of the community that the signs give a false sense of security to some residents as the scheme is not legally enforceable. Cold calling is a legal and legitimate business activity and the zones cannot bar callers from visiting residents. The Council believes it is more important to provide vulnerable individuals with practical information and support about how to deal with cold callers rather than to add to the proliferation of street furniture already in the area. For example door stickers with the NCCZ telephone number and a warning advising callers that the resident will not welcome cold callers can be a much better option for many householders.

Cllr Ken Lynch did not attend the meeting on 4 November 2013 either to vote or to advocate in favour of the signs. Town Mayor Susan Sutton explained:

“Cllr Lynch is unhappy because the Council did not agree with his proposal to introduce more signs because we already have these installed around the community. We want to see the NCCZ champions actively engaging with vulnerable members of the community, not giving the impression that more signs would make us all immune from unwanted visits.

Cllr Lynch must accept that the council makes its decisions in a democratic way. We vote on the merits of propositions put before us and have the best interests of the whole community in our minds. Cllr Lynch is a member of this corporate body and is bound by our code of conduct whenever he speaks whatever other roles or titles he may use. Making accusations that his fellow council members are “deliberate liars” in intemperate statements to the press is unacceptable behaviour.”